Hospitals have become business centers everywhere!

Several times, I used to think, ‘whether innovations of science and technology has contributed to human welfare? In fact, the aim of science and technology is to ennoble the life of common citizens. But what we witness now is contrary to our expectations. I don’t intend to demean or degrade science. It is due to such advancement, health sector has contributed much to the welfare of people. At the same time, health is taken to be a commodity by business people and the service oriented hospitals have turned into money minting factories. Even common man is not spared. If we enter into the precincts of some of the super specialty hospitals in the country, we will get well but return empty handed! Hence there is multiplicity of such hospitals everywhere! Of course the rich people always turn to such reputed hospitals for getting them cured. It is the social responsibility of big corporate hospitals to treat at least one fourth of poor patients free! But when we look at the reality, hardly five percent are treated free in several hospitals. Some hospitals never care for the poor patients. The government of India has made it mandatory for all the major hospitals to treat certain percentage of poor free. With this understanding, the hospitals were provided land and other infrastructure facilities. But those hospitals have failed to treat poor people. Health has become a commercial venture in many places!

In spite of enormous cost of founding such super specialty hospitals, Sri Sathya Saibaba had founded two biggest super specialty hospitals which treat all patients absolutely free for any ailments including conducting major cardiac or other surgeries which today cost not less than 3 to 5 lakhs elsewhere. The peculiarity of Sai hospital is ‘THERE IS NO BILLING DEPARTMENT’. One more wonderful thing is that the first super specialty hospital was constructed in an obscure village covering around three lakh square feet of plinth area! They are not hospitals but they are temples of health! Sai volunteers clean the premises thoroughly, disinfect those areas which are prone to contamination and maintain them all through the year continuously. It is no wonder more than one lakh major surgeries have been performed with success percentage of more than 99%. There are dedicated house surgeons in addition to visiting Doctors from all over the globe! Saibaba has clearly emphasized that education, health and drinking water must be provided free to all citizens. The hospital at Puttaparthi in Prasanthigram has become world famous for its philanthropic philosophy and free treatment!

One more wonder is that the foundation pit was consecrated in the presence of Saibaba during 1991. For full five months, there were no noticeable activities within the compound. Within the next five months, the majestic edifice with beautiful architectural domes and frontal elevation arose as though from a magic wand. During the foundation ceremony, Saibaba has promised that the hospital will be inaugurated on 22 November 1991 with five surgeries on that day. None believed his words at that time. Even the close followers and devotees of Saibaba were skeptical about the announcement. After five months of the ceremony, Saibaba was travelling to Bangalore Ashram. On the way, he just enquired about the progress of the hospital construction. The in charge of construction could not say anything since only barren land with a compound was seen. Then Saibaba asked one of his devotees to engage around 2000 labors from L&T Company. Once organized, the construction started getting shape! But, another problem arose. The inauguration was fixed on 22 November 1991. The civil works and electrical works were hardly complete. Installation of major medical equipment may take another fifteen days! The people at the spot were at their wit’s end. Saibaba used to come very often to the site to encourage the laborers and workman. Sai volunteers worked like devils on the last fifteen to twenty days and the hospital was ready for inauguration on the fixed day by the Prime Minister Shri P.V.Narasimha Rao. Everyone involved in the project sighed a relief when everything turned well and the operation theatres were ready to perform the intended surgeries. It was a medical miracle, construction miracle, and miracle of faith of thousands of Sai devotees!

Even during the construction, many obstacles arose challenging the ingenuity of many experts. The central hall was high with a huge dome and to fix a huge chandelier in the center posed many problems to the Engineers and technicians. It was to be fixed at such a height and many feared proper fixing at the height is quiet difficult. While the Engineers were breaking their head for safe fixing of the huge chandelier which was weighing heavily, to safely lift the huge chandelier itself is a big problem since the height was not less than eighty feet and there were no supporting structure in the hall to retain it till final fixing. Many ideas were tried and the Engineers were at their wits end. While fixing the hooks to the ceiling was going on, Saibaba silently came inside and he was looking at the ceiling! Lo! Within minutes the fixing was done successfully while it took many days to plan the operation!

The advanced medical equipment has to come from UK and other countries. Huge jets need to bring them directly to Puttaparthi. Puttaparthi had an ordinary airfield for movement of devotees. For landing of jets, the infrastructure needs to be upgraded to International standard! Anticipating such eventuality with the clearance of Airport authorities of India and the then government, the Puttaparthi airstrip was enlarged for landing of jets from UK, US and other European countries! Hence all medical equipment were received and taken to the worksite and installation done in an unimaginable time period. In more advanced countries such construction of mammoth area might have taken not less than five years, while it took hardly five months for the real construction to complete three lakhs square feet which was really an engineering marvel. It was the grace of Saibaba which enabled such astounding miracle.

Even the Architect who was commissioned to prepare the drawings found it monumental o start. Hence he came personally to Saibaba and sought his audience. Saibaba blessed him and he returned with full faith. Suddenly one day he had an intuition that the hospital should embrace the suffering humanity. Hence he started drawing a preliminary sketch with two wings like embracing the people who come there with a central portion with dome etc. Within few hours he could complete the entire plan. He could not believe himself how such a concept entered his mind?

During the functioning of the hospital, many complicated cases came there. The doctors were not willing to try their hand on the patient with multiple health problems. When Saibaba was consulted, he blessed the Doctors that no problem will arise, you can perform surgery! The patient revived after many hours of surgery as promised by Baba! When complicated surgeries were performed, video of such surgeries used to be taken. In one such video the Doctors found to their astonishment, It was Saibaba himself performing the surgeries through the hands of the Doctors! Both the hospitals founded by Sathya Saibaba at Puttaparthi and Whitefield Bangalore are treasure troves of miracles!